Can Republicans Say “Ic”?
Well, of course they can. It’s right there in the name of their party: RepublICan.
So why do they make themselves sound like illiterates every time they’re forced to utter the dread name of the other party? Why do Republicans, almost without exception, refer to their opposition as “the Democrat Party”?
Are they truly as ignorant of the English language as they sound? Do they all come from trailer parks? Don’t they know that “Democrat” is a noun and “Democratic” is the adjective form?
Sure, they know. The lock-step illiteracy is a marketing device.
“Democrat” ends in r-a-t. “The “DemocRAT Party.” Deliver it with a sneer, as the Republicans always do, and it also brings to mind other r-a-t words. “Bureaucrat”, for example.
Incredibly, enough people fall for this shit that the Republicans have kept it up for at least a decade.
So I have a suggestion for Democrats: an i-c for an i-c.
From now on, take the “ic” out of “Republican” and pronounce it “Re-pubble-un”, for no reason other than that it sounds silly and will irritate the hell out of them.
C’mon, say it with me now: RE-pubble-un. Or just “Pubble” for short. The Grand Old Pubbles. The party whose leaders would rather sound like morons than say “ic” at the end of a word.
August 23rd, 2006 at 10:52 PM
Sounds good.
Were I in charge, I’d go with dropping the B, slurring the vowel sounds there. RePelican. It both invoked the bird who,whenever it opens it’s mouth, you smell something fishy… and it starts with Repel.
Not that I have any love for the Democratic Party either. It’s like choosing between Tweedledum and Tweedleviolent.
August 24th, 2006 at 5:28 AM
…. or to satiate those of us who gigle at pottymouth humor, Re-pUbic-lins.
August 24th, 2006 at 6:00 AM
democratic good
democrat bad
democracy.. soso.. I’m barely sure what the modern definition of the word Is anymore.. is it a positive word? in the good sense of positive I mean, not the viral load sense..
words words words
August 24th, 2006 at 9:21 AM
OK, just in case it is not obvious, the reason was to make it a label and not a description. The Democratic Party has been extremely undemocratic in the last few years (not that the Republican party has been any more democratic).
August 24th, 2006 at 2:37 PM
Democrat/Democratic — doesn’t matter to me, as long as it’s accompanied by the word “majority” come November.
Though I must admit that in my fantasy dream world (which really should be focused on large quantities of cash and frequent dinners with Angelina Jolie), all elections would be non-partisan — petitions must be signed, and run-off elections will be held. It wouldn’t give us perfect government, and it wouldn’t prevent the election of some stray idiots, but at least the “rah-rah for our side” crap (like I started this post with) might disappear.
Nebraska does it at the state level, and they’re hardly a bunch of crazy radicals.
August 24th, 2006 at 2:38 PM
Sorry. I don’t accept Bart’s explanation. I prefer to remember the way Bush I misprounouced Saddam Hussein’s name. Remember that? SA-ddem? It’s on purpose. It’s to annoy. Much like frat boys hand out stupid nicknames…
August 24th, 2006 at 3:18 PM
It’s Rove-speak. You don’t want to associate the Democratic party with democracy. It’s the ongoing attempt to frame public opinion by controlling language. Like calling a suicide bomber a “homicide bomber”, which is inherently silly, since aren’t all bombers homicidal by definition?
August 25th, 2006 at 1:20 AM
I’ve always wondered why, whenever a Democrat and a Republican are appearing together on one of the talking heads shows, the Democrat always lets the mispronunciation go by without comment.
Why not call them on it every time? Just say, “By the way, it’s pronounced ‘Democratic Party’…Don’t you think it’s kind of stupid and childish to always say it wrong?” Or “Would you mind explaining to the viewers why Republicans always say ‘Democrat Party’ instead of ‘Democratic’? What is the message you are trying to convey?”, or “Why is the word ‘Democratic’ so offensive to Republicans?”
If someone were to point out their stupid Orwellian speak every time they tried it, they’d stop in a hurry.
And if Democrats don’t call them on it, why don’t the journalists? Imagine Anderson Cooper shouting at Ken Mehlman, “Stop it! Every time you say ‘Democrat Party,’ it’s like fingernails on the chalkboard for every literate person in America! For the love of God, stop!”
August 25th, 2006 at 5:55 AM
I hadn’t noticed that Republicans did that, but I wouldn’t put it past them. Like the above poster said, Bush I did it with Saddam. I don’t buy Bart’s explanation either.
What gets me is how they can have spin-meisters get all of the Republicans on the same message all the time. Someone says,”Ok guys, we’re going to say Democrat Party now instead of Democratic Party.” Then people do it. It’s weird. Why can’t they be independent minded and speak for themselves?
August 25th, 2006 at 7:30 AM
Oooo! Good question Brian! Read John Dean’s new book “Conservatives Without Conscience” for the answer. Oh what the heck, read the book anyway but here’s the answer: They’re all Authoritarians — leaders and followers alike. Dean explains it brilliantly.
August 25th, 2006 at 8:21 AM
Gentlemen, please. It just depends on the pedigree of the person speaking. I’m sure that Mr. Gerber, for all his knowledge, is just cheerypicking the specific incidents that support his claim. I hear Republicans refer to the party as Democratic quite frequently.
If you really want to hear the name calling, just visit Yahoo News’ forums for all their top stories. If you think Democrat Party is bad, wait till you hear Demogouges, Dumb-o-Crats, DemocRATS, Repulsicans, RepubliKKKans, Libtards, KKKons, Neo-KKKons, etc…
Democrat Party sounds downright civil.
August 25th, 2006 at 8:30 AM
Of course the epithets and nicknames can be worse — that’s not the point. The point is that “democrat” party is dismissiveness and smug on a national level. “See,” it says, “they are insignificant and unimportant. Ignore them.”
August 25th, 2006 at 4:10 PM
I remember reading years ago about the Rs dropping the “ic” – and that it was done to dissociate the value-content of the adjective and make it just a label, not a description.
I also heard something on NPR during the last RNC recently that said that one of the reasons the Rs are so good at keeping their people on-message and in-step lies in the connection between their origins as a political party and abolitionist groups. These groups were highly organized and relied on coordinated actions to advance their goals; this culture of conformity (party before all) had been maintained by the Rs.
At least, that’s what NPR said.
August 26th, 2006 at 9:28 AM
It’s been in use since the 1920’s, long before Rove got involved.
August 26th, 2006 at 7:36 PM
Stephen: “Gentlemen, please. It just depends on the pedigree of the person speaking. I’m sure that Mr. Gerber, for all his knowledge, is just cherrypicking the specific incidents that support his claim. I hear Republicans refer to the party as Democratic quite frequently.”
No. Trust me. you may think you do, but you don’t. They *all* drop the -ic, *all* the time. Every single one of them, from bottom-of-the-barrel brawler types like DeLay, all the way up the food chain to McCain.
August 26th, 2006 at 10:01 PM
Mr. Gerber: I’ll be sure to pay closer attention in the future. Hey! Maybe the people who say “Democrat Party” are the same ones who shout “Woo!” We may have a connection.
No wait… idiot liberal audiences for the “Daily Show” and “Real Time with Bill Maher” shout “Woo!” too. “Woo” is a universal dumb sound it seems.
Back on topic though — I can’t bring myself to say Democrat Party out loud. It hurts my ears. And my brain.
August 31st, 2006 at 10:06 AM
Perhaps “Democratic” ill-describes the “Democrats”. Here’s to their continued minority status come November!
August 31st, 2006 at 11:32 AM
As someone else put it:
My high school government teacher, a 60s left winger who called me a fascist a lot when talking to other teachers, and life long democrat insisted ‘democrat party’ was the proper syntax. Ie, your a democrat, not a democratic, and your the member of the democrat party.. I picked it up from him.
Compare with republican. Your a republican and member of the republican party… not the republic party.
Libertarian, member of the libertarian party… not the liberty party.
Or Communist, member of the peace and freedom party.
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